Shipping-package.



PATENTEE) MAR. 21,1905.

J. A. BOWER; v SHIPPING PACKAGE. APPLICATION FILED MAB.19, 1904.

UNITE STATES Patented March 21, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

SHIPPING-PACKAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,079, dated March 21, 1905. Application filed March 19, 1904. Serial No. 198,944.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN A. BOWER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pitts burg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered new and useful Improvements in Shippin Packages, of which the following is a speci cation.

The purpose of my invention is to devise a cheap yet substantial shipping-package to inclose other packages of rectangular form.

My improved shipping-package is particularly adapted for use as an inclosure for what are known to the trade as shelf goods, of which cereals form a very large proportion; but it is not my intention to limit my package to the uses above enumerated, as the same can be employedfor shipping or storing various other kinds of goods put up in variously-shaped small packages.

It is well known that the price of wooden boxes has during the past few years arisen so rapidly in value as to make the cost of the same exceedingly enormous to large shippers. Moreover, the wooden box has a very considerable weight and adds materially to the freight charges for this reason. The package which I will now proceed to describe not only possesses the element of great relative cheapness compared to wooden boxes, but also is so extremely light that its we1ght as freight is negligible. Furthermore, the wooden boxes are usually destroyed in opening or, if not, are too heavy or too difficult to pack in a compact manner to be returned after use. On the contrary, constituent parts of my package after they have been received by the consignee can be readily preserved and piled in a knockdown shape in very small space and when a sufficient number have been accumulated'can be returned at a very low freight charge for reuse.

. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the preferred form of my shipping-package, the lower part being shown in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof with a portion thereof in horizontal section. Fig. 3 is a detail of the corner-piece which I employ, the same being shown as a showing in section a portion of the end of the package, this view particularly showing the manner in which the carton, caps, and the cornenstrips are assembled.

Referring now to the drawings for a detailed description of my shipping-package, 1 re resents the shell, which preferably has 011 i four sides, though it may have ends, if desired. I prefer to construct the shell out of binders board or jute board, but do not desire to be restricted to anydefinite material, as any material which is stiff enough to stand on itsd e without bendingwhen filled with goods e w answer the purpose. The shell is preferably bent to form corners or angles thereof, the free edges of the blank from which it is formed being overlapped, as shown at 2. The shells should be made of such size and shape that they will contain exactly a certain number of small packages, which inclose the goods, so that the small packages will fit closely on all sides of the shell and furnish sufficient interior resistance to counteract the ordinary exterior pressure to which the packages would be exposed.

The ends of the shell are closed by sheetmetal tops or caps 3, having their centers deressed, as shown at 4, their four edges being ormed into a raised bead 4, which provides grooves 5 on the four sides or edges to receive the edges of the shell. The depressions 4 should fit neatly inthe interior of the shell, and the edges of the latter should closely fit into the grooves 5.

The four longitudinal or vertical edges of 'flat blank. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view the shell are defended by angular metal strips 6, which are bent to fit closely the corners of the shell. The strips are provided with tongues 7, which are preferably struck up integrally therewith. The tongues project to- Ward the ends of the strips and are offset toward their rear faces. The caps are applied to the shell so that the offset tongues pass behind the downwardly-extending flanges of the caps, which flanges are the outer walls of the grooves 5. The edges of the flanges of the tops 3 rest on the bases or ofiset portions of the tongues 7, as shown in the several views.

The corner-strips have their ends provided with projections 8, separated by the slots 9.

The projections when the strips are ap lied extend sufficiently far beyond the outer aces of the beads 4 to permit them to be bent down over the'said beads and into the depression 4, as shown on the drawings. The

rojections when bent form hooks, which closely bind the caps against the bases of the tongues and the edges of the shell.

In Fig. 8 I have shown my corner-strips in the shape of a blank. I prefer to have the slots 9 formed as shownthat is, with parallel sides, the inner walls of the slot coming to a point, as shown, so that when the strip is bent on the line 10 of Fig. 3 and the projections are bent over the beads the inner edges of the slots will touch each other and form a tight joint, which will serve to strengthen the ends of the package and prevent its being bent diamond shape to any degree.

It will be observed that my shipping-package is easily assembled and easily taken apart, while the most vulnerable portions are protected by the metal caps and corners, yet the bulk of the package is made of light and cheap material, which materially reduces the cost and the weight. When the packages have been emptied, they may be taken apart and reshipped in a knockdown shape, so as so occupy a very small space, and when a sufficient number have been accumulated they can be returned at a very low freight charge.

I do not desire to be restricted to the pre cise details shown and'described, as many changes can be made while still preserving the spirit thereof.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. A shipping-package composed of an open ended shell, dished metallic covers therefor, and metallic corner-strips provided with portions bent into the depressed portions of the dished covers.

2. A shipping package composed of an open ended shell, metallic caps provided with beads and grooves, the ends of the shell being seated in the grooves, and metallic corner-strips having their ends bent down over said beads.

3. A shipping-package composed of a shell, metallic caps having flanges, metallic cornerstrips having tongues under said flanges and extensions bent down on the caps.

4. A shipping-package composed of a shell, caps having continuous raised margins, and corner-strips each having its opposite ends bent into hooks over the said margins.

Signed at Pittsburg,Pennsvlvania,this 18th day of March, 1904.

JNO. A. BOXVER.

Witnesses:

F. N. BARBER, A. M. STEEN. 

